


Foundation

by DipKit



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Cis Lio Fotia, Developing Relationship, Light Angst, M/M, Oral Sex, Porn with Feelings, Suggestive Themes, Trans Galo Thymos, Vulnerability
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:47:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25699045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DipKit/pseuds/DipKit
Summary: Lio is very aware of the fondness Galo has for him. He's been showing it more and more with his praise, his need to always sit next to him or walk beside him, his constant asking of 'Lio, have you seen this movie? Lio, have you eaten at so-and-so's?' and then making sure he does do exactly that if not.He doesn't know if it's the softness of Galo's hands moving over his skin, or the way he can feel Galo's soft breaths ghosting around his lips, but something about it entrances him. Lio is really happy, actually, that Galo is just as kind, if not kinder, in private than he is in public.Lio can't remember the last time someone touched him this softly.---Galo and Lio try to move their relationship forward, but have a few things to overcome first.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 19
Kudos: 96





	1. Managing

**Author's Note:**

> There's no pressuring anyone into anything, Lio is panicking a bit due to his loss of powers. Slight angst. A short work I wrote after seeing Promare for the second time, hopefully there's more to be said here.  
> It's my headcanon that Galo is a trans guy, so even though it's not mentioned, it's there in my heart.

It had been bothering him for a bit. Helping with the rebuilding and cleanup effort had allowed him to push aside considering it until he couldn't avoid it any longer. Making out with Galo was fun, but just as they started getting hot and heavy, something in him snapped. 

"Stop, stop we have to stop, get off me." 

Galo rolls aside, eyes searching. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I just- I can't," Lio sits up and puts his back to the headboard. "I can't get past this feeling. Like you're going to crush me and there's nothing I can do about it."

"You know I wouldn't do that!"

"That's not the point."

They're sitting on Galo's bed, Lio has his shirt off and is leaning against the headboard, his arms wrapped around his tucked knees, shielding his naked chest from Galo. Galo is sitting openly, hands over his crossed ankles, also shirtless, and looking confused. He has the start of a hickey on the slope of his neck, and a flush to him. Lio probably has similar marks, but at the moment he's looking away from Galo. 

"I feel small." 

Galo laughs, softly. "But you are, Lio."

Lio furrows his brow. "I don't mean like- well okay, kind of like that too, I suppose." He looks at Galo with a serious gaze. "I feel like. Ugh," He frowns. "I don't like that you have more strength than me."

"Oh. I'm sorry?” Galo really doesn't understand. "You've been working with me in the cleanup, though. You're getting plenty strong!" Galo holds up his own arm, flexing as if he needs to show Lio what he can clearly see already. 

Lio looks aside, still in his curled up form. "This is stupid." 

"Hey, normally you're calling me stupid." Galo moves to sit up against the headboard as well, but leaves space between them. "Do you... not want me to be strong?" 

Lio huffs, angrily. "Ever since I lost the link with the Promare, I've felt weak." He looks at Galo, almost angrily. "I used to be able to fly! I could level buildings, raze entire city blocks on a whim! I could break myself and others out of places, I could create and mold the Promare fire! I could make suits for myself and weapons! Now what do I have?" 

He claps his hands out in front of him, the sound sharp and hollow in the room. He pulls them apart. Nothing forms between his palms. It feels so empty. He just feels angry and helpless in a way he never had before. There was always something he could do, some feat his connection to the Promare would give him, some way that being a Burnish almost made up for itself with the power he was allowed to wield. But now? Nothing. Just a weak, small, human body, and still shouldering a large chunk of the negativity associated with the ex-Burnish. 

And he couldn't even allow his boyfriend to touch him without feeling helpless? 

"You have me. And the team here at station 3. And your friends, the generals, and the volunteers during weekdays…" Galo puts down the fingers he was counting on. "Sorry. That wasn't what you meant." he says, sheepish.

"No." 

"You feel… powerless?" Galo tries.

"In a big way, yeah." It's hard to convey just how much he was trying to not think about it, not acknowledge the reality of it. 

Galo thinks again, and gestures between the two of them. "Do you feel… like I'd hurt you?" 

"N- Not exactly." He sees Galo thinking it through. It's not that he doesn't trust Galo.

"Hm. Okay. So you lost a lot of really cool powers. Heck, I've never had cool powers! I have a team and the mechs that Lucia makes for me to use. But," he looks at Lio, "I think I get some of it."

He reaches with the back of his fist and bumps Lio's knee. Lio looks at him, doubtful. 

He smiles, and chirps; "You want to be on top, right?"

Lio turns pink instantly. "What?! You think  _ that's  _ what this is about?" 

"Would it help?" Galo powers through, his eyebrows going up with earnestness. 

Lio calms a bit, seeing that he genuinely isn't trying to pull something. He considers, then nods. "A little. I think." 

"Come kiss me, then. Please." Galo shifts down the bed, his hands splay over his dark jeans as he pats his thighs. Lio looks at him and uncurls his legs. Galo smiles at him, happy as ever. Lio can't help but smile back, just a bit, as he swings a leg over Galo's thighs and settles down onto him, feeling the heat of his body through his pants. 

He leans forward to kiss Galo again; it's soft, and nice. Galo's hands come up to touch his chest but they're much lighter now. He's being gentle with him. 

Lio doesn't know if it's the softness of Galo's hands moving over his skin, or the way he can feel Galo's soft breaths ghosting around his lips, but something about it entrances him. He shivers, and Galo smiles into their kiss. Lio's hands work their way up and around Galo's shoulders, leaning forward against him and wrapping his arms around the back of his neck. Lio can't remember the last time someone touched him this softly. 

It almost feels too hot, a foreign feeling for Lio. To have open hands moving around his middle and brushing up and down his back, his skin feeling the barest firm pressure as Galo rubs his calloused hands over his soft skin now peppered with goosebumps. He hums into Galo's mouth, and sucks on Galo's lip before pulling back. 

He's smiling without really meaning to. Galo looks up at him, only a few inches away, wonder written in his eyes. "You okay?"

"I-" his voice seizes up, like he suddenly can't choke out the words there. He clears his throat. "Yeah. Yeah, this is good." 

Galo's smile falls just a bit. There's a bit of stinging wetness in his eyes when Galo reaches up and wipes at Lio's face, tries to sweep the gathered tears away with his thumb. Lio sits back. He wasn't- he didn't want to start crying, what the fuck. Galo is just being nice to him. He's had people be nice to him before. He's had plenty of people care. 

Just not in this way. Not in this simple, physical, clear way. A hand on his shoulder, a good pat on the back, and maybe a handshake or a hug from a child. Nothing like this though. He might have needed this more than he thought. 

He was so happy to have Galo. 

Galo's eyes are also starting to brim with tears, and his face looks worried. 

"What are you- stop crying! It's fine, I'm fine!" Lio wipes the rest of the wetness away on the back of his hand. 

"I'm only crying 'cuz you're crying! It's your fault!" 

Galo reaches up to hold the side of Lio's face. Lio laughs, leans into Galo's hand, then holds it in place so he can turn and kiss his palm. 

"You touching me like this is really nice." He blushes a bit, despite being straddled across the guy's lap. 

Galo smiles despite the watery-ness of his eyes. "Good! I like touching you like this." He blushes a bit. "I'm really glad I get to." He shifts upward, bringing their bodies against one another and holding himself up with an arm behind him. He gets his face very close to Lio's, but it's Lio that taps under his chin to bring it up so he can kiss him. 

Lio is very aware of the fondness Galo has for him. He's been showing it more and more with his praise, his need to always sit next to him or walk beside him, his constant asking of 'Lio, have you seen this movie? Lio, have you eaten at so-and-so's?' and then making sure he does do exactly that if not. 

Lio is really happy, actually, that Galo is just as kind, if not kinder, in private than he is in public. Galo deepens the kiss, swiping his tongue across Lio's lips to get him to open up, and they explore each other bit by bit, until they're both panting. Both of Galo's arms have snaked around Lio's back, and Lio is pressing his hands against Galo's chest and feeling his heart racing just from the kissing. 

They move apart, just a bit, just enough so they can both breathe, moving in tandem, rising and falling so slightly together. 

Galo speaks softly into the space. "You are the biggest, brightest thing in my life." 

"Wh-" he's floored. Lio is shocked so hard that he stops breathing for a moment. He takes a moment to try and figure how the world's biggest idiot had managed to fuck him up so badly. 

Lio doesn't know how he got so lucky. 

So he kisses him again. "Shut up! Oh my god you-" he kisses him again, moving his hands to thread through his bright hair, "-are so fucking corny-" he pulls his head back a bit and starts to work kisses down his jaw, and onto his neck. 

He drops the grip he has and just squeezes Galo tight, hugging him and pulling himself as flush to him as possible. "Thank you." 

Galo hugs him back, nuzzling into his shoulder and neck. "Anytime."


	2. Brewing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lio is reminded why he likes Galo in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was getting too long so I chopped it up- the next 'half' will be up soon after I edit it. I think this fic will be 5 chapters long but we'll see how that goes!  
> This one is a build-up episode; Lio's feelings are explored more and worked out a little bit. Galo is pretty good at being helpful.  
> This chapter's rating is T, but uh, next time, not so much.

It was just a stroke of luck- the small café had put up a help wanted sign and he'd been the first in the door. 

Lio was certainly smart enough to learn all the complicated steps to making fancy coffee and tea, once he realized that it would be pretty fun. Plus he'd get to work around hot and steaming things a lot. There was something of a pull there, and he didn't really give it more thought than acknowledging it. He wasn't sure if his coworkers knew who he was or cared, but he had a feeling his shift manager knew, but also didn't care. It was kind of nice, being able to make drinks and ring up customers all day. It wasn't as frustrating as he'd assumed this kind of job would ever be. Plus, he got to see a lot of burnish- ex-burnish- faces as word went quietly around that he was working there. He couldn't spend too much time catching up, but a friendly smile or nod of acknowledgement went a long way to making his days even better. 

But today, Lio was finding himself more lost in thought than ever. Specifically about Galo, and about what they were and weren't doing. 

So they haven't had sex yet. Or seen each other naked. Lio hums to himself while tilting the pitcher on the steamer wand. His thoughts drift to how they've been shirtless around each other enough times but they've never so much as taken off shirts when it has been just the two of them. It's not like Lio is thinking about what it would be like- getting naked with Galo- while calling out the orders for the café on a busy tuesday afternoon. Definitely not. As the full cups change hands and some stranger's fingertips brush his, he can't help how his mind immediately flashes back to how tenderly Galo ran his fingers up his arm, how he used the motion to bring them together and lean down to kiss Lio's neck. 

One of his coworkers bumps his shoulder to ask nonchalantly if he's feeling alright. He shivers as the thought floats away like a cloud of steam, leaving him feeling slightly chilled and damp. Lio assures them he's fine and tries to bring himself more solidly back to what he's doing. He realizes he's been staring at the order on a drink for way too long, and Lio clears his throat before calling it out. 

It shouldn't bother him, Lio thinks to himself later, counting out his till in the small back room with his shift lead at the end of his workday. It's just- apparently he's having some problems  _ adjusting  _ and this is one of them. 

Other times he's found himself trying to surge with energy the promare granted him. Tried to warp structures around himself and create things out of nothing; only to feel like he's had a bucket of cold water dumped over his head. No fire, no warmth. No other life breathing through him ever answers his calls anymore. 

He feels so empty without it. 

The employee backroom is chilly and dry compared to the front of house. He reaches into his small personal locker at the end of the room to get out his non-work shoes, wallet, and jacket. Lio huffs a sigh. What makes him think he can go from being outcast on the edges of society to seamlessly entering it after a lifetime of existing on the fringes? Especially after all the time spent being a general terror to buildings and government complexes. 

Once he's changed, he heads to the front of the café and sits at a small table by the front door, and checks his phone. 

Galo hasn't texted him yet, but he fires off some responses to Meis about another new brand of spicy chips he's trying, letting him know that while he appreciates Meis' commitment to research on that front, he really doesn't need a play-by-play of his impressions. He gets a short text half a minute later calling him ungrateful, and he smiles. 

He breathes an easy sigh and watches some of the patrons in the café, most reading on their devices, some chatting quietly in small groups, some typing or otherwise involved in work. The din was nice, calming. Lio was a lot more comfortable in packed public spaces than he'd been even a month prior, and it was nice to feel an easy companionship with these strangers.

He's honestly got Galo to thank for that. The guy invites him out to so many places, to movies and dinners and a few bars even. The latest strange places are mini-golf, a theme park, and a traditional Kabuki play one thursday afternoon. But he's helped Lio not feel so out of place, and feel like it's alright that he is where he is now. Where no one has burnish powers and everyone is simply existing with one another. 

His thoughts careen back to Galo. There's still this whole fear-insecurity-trepidation problem. His stomach clenches a little. Lio had just wanted to ride it out, to just go with the flow and let things happen between him and Galo in a nice, easy way. That's what he had been trying to do last week when he freaked out under Galo and had to stop. He had resolved to try again tonight, if Galo was up for it. A blush formed on his cheeks as he remembered Galo's flushed face, his wide hands on his chest, the feel of his tongue and teeth as they traced a line down his neck…

He abruptly stood up and walked out of the café, trying to clear his head. The crisp cold air blew around him, so he hiked his jacket around his shoulders.The sky was still hitting a bright blue, just barely threatening to drip pinks and deeper purples into the edges of the sky. 

The cold was like a soft slap to his senses, and he breathes deeply, tries to not get lost in thought. 

There isn't a message from Galo yet. Lio hangs by the corner of the café, leaning against the wall with a boot on it, wrapping his jacket tight over his thin t-shirt. He had initially figured his recent cold spells were from exhaustion, but it turned out a lot of ex-burnish weren't used to the chill of regular human existence. He had been commiserating with Meis about how much it sucked just the other day. Lio wasn't built for this colder windy weather. 

Lio watches some wispy white clouds move swiftly across the blue sky. He had avoided talking any more about the whole…  _ panicking  _ thing. He figured that he'd have to talk to Galo tonight, before anything happened. He knew Galo certainly wasn't going to go ahead without saying  _ something _ . The guy was blunt but surprisingly soft and caring. It was something Lio had really, really come to love about him. 

He smiles at Galo when he approaches from the direction of the station. He's still wearing those big red uniform pants with the reflective stripes, with a white t-shirt. As he kicks off the wall Lio realizes they probably make a really silly pair. Galo being tall, broad, and in bright colors, and Lio small; wearing tight black clothes, and a puffy black jacket. 

Still, it wasn't like he was embarrassed. Galo looked at him with a light in his eyes, and he found himself staring as Galo said some kind of cheesy greeting to him. He frequently forgot how colorful his boyfriends eyes were. 

"Huh?" Lio shook himself. 

"I said, sorry I didn't text you. I forgot and I was kind of jogging the whole way. it's been a while, yeah?" Galo enveloped him into a quick hug, one that blocked all the wind and rushed Lio's nose with the heady smell of a slightly sweaty Galo. He squeezed back before letting go, wanting to bury himself in his boyfriend's chest. 

He huffs. "Well, it's only been five days."

"Too long!" Galo sighed and slumped dramatically over Lio's shoulder, turning them to walk down the sidewalk. The weight of Galo's arm across his shoulders and the tightness of his grip is doing something familiar to his stomach. The buzzing energy starts filling him up. He shifts closer to Galo, trying to make their strides match despite the height difference. 

"Missed you, too, idiot." 

Galo beams down at him again, and Lio is momentarily lost in those eyes, his thoughts trickling out like water from cupped hands. How could he feel upset or concerned with this  _ tenderness  _ flowing through Galo's gaze and his touch? Lio feels his cheeks flush and wrenches his gaze forward. But he still reaches up to twine his fingers with the hand Galo has against his shoulder. 

It's strange how he can feel so calm with this guy, and so fired up at the same time. 

He can almost feel Galo's continued smile. "You're so rude. You're lucky I like you."

"Yeah, I am." Lio says to himself, quietly enough that he's not sure if Galo heard it. Saying those kinds of things out loud was still embarrassing. Galo doesn't make any indication that he heard, so they just walk around to the parking lot by the café so Galo can get his motorcycle out. 

"We going straight home?" Galo asks as he kicks up the stand.

"Nah, we should pick up something on the way."

"Pizza?"

Lio laughs. "Like you haven't had pizza every day this week already!" Galo huffs but doesn't argue. "How about chinese takeout?" 

Galo hums in assent. "I can live with that."

It was always a mix of thrilling and terrifying to ride with Galo, but this time, as he swung his leg over the seat and squished himself up against Galo's broad back, he found himself lost in vague thoughts of what he wanted to do when they got home. 

Lio tried not to fidget too much or to feel Galo up at stoplights on their way back. It was more of a feat than it should have been. 

\---

"I've got a thing to say to you." Galo says hesitantly, while not looking at Lio. 

They were waiting outside the takeout place for their order to be called. They had argued over what sides to get ( _ "Fried rice is better!" "But vegetables are important!" "There's veggies in it!" _ ), and then had been mostly silent with their hands loosely intertwined while they leaned against the wall of the building. 

"Hah?" He tries leaning into Galo's line of sight. 

"It's just, I was thinking."

Lio studies Galo for a moment, seeing how closed his expression is and not liking it. "What is it? You're not breaking up with me, right?" he jokes, if only to assuage his own fears. 

Galo breaks into a worried stare immediately. "No! No, of course not! Lio!" He grabs Lio's hand with both of his. "I'd never!"

"Never, huh?" Lio eases into a teasing smile. He always got nervous when Galo went quiet-serious. Loud-serious was more his default state. He felt his heart rate ease and cleared his throat. "What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, um." He fidgets. "It… ah… I'm not sure how to say it." Galo scratches his chin, eyes narrowed. 

Lio just stares at him.

"You told me about the not-having-promare-feelings that one time." 

Lio nods. 

Galo seems to steady himself and he faces Lio fully. "There's nothing wrong with having to re-learn what it's like."

"Huh? What  _ what's _ like?"

"Being… uh…" he blinks his eyes tight and then snaps his fingers. "Ah! Vulnerable." 

Lio digests that for a moment. Oh. Re-learn something he barely remembers being. That he definitely was now. And was supremely uncomfortable with. 

"Who told you you could be smart?" he deflected without any real malice. 

"Hey! I can be smart. And I'm right. Aina told me." 

Lio bites out a chuckle. "You talked with her." It's more a statement than a question but Galo nods anyway. 

"I figured that it was alright to talk with her about it. She ah- she doesn't know exactly why i brought it up. I didn't tell her what we were, you know, doing." Galo had a soft smile on his face, his eyes searching Lio's. "I hope that was okay."

Lio was a little miffed but he could certainly get over himself. "Yeah, she's a friend. It's okay, Galo, don't worry about that."

It doesn't seem like Galo has anything more to say. He slouches back against the wall, this time stretching his arm over Lio's shoulders and pulling him flush against Galo's side. Lio's grateful for the warmth and the lack of eye contact as he mulls over what Galo said. 

He's right, and if Lio knows it then Galo certainly knows it. It's been so long since he's been  _ actually  _ vulnerable- too long since the threat of someone bigger than him has ever meant anything. That in itself is pretty terrifying. He'll probably butt heads with fuckers who're stronger than him for the rest of his life, though. He knows he doesn't have a good measure of what or who he can take on nowadays. It's already gotten him into a few fights. 

Galo lets out a short laugh, drawing his attention. "Your face says, ' _ I'm gonna get the shit kicked out of me so many times, but that won't stop me _ .'"

"What makes you so sure?" Lio deadpans.

"You had this kind of evil grin happening." He tries to imitate for Lio, his brows lowering with a small smile on his face, his eyes intense for a second. "Like that! Very mad, so I thought, 'oh, he's thinking about punching someone.'" 

He grabs Galo's shirt. "You want to go, punk?" He can't keep the grin off his face, though. 

Galo leans forward quickly and kisses his nose. "Hell yeah," he drones in a deep register. 

It completely throws Lio off and sends all the heat in his body flaring outward. He can feel himself blushing and the look in Galo's eye confirms it. 

"Not what I meant, idiot." He drops Galo's shirtfront like he's offended. 

Galo leans up and stretches. "I don't think we're allowed to fight out here anyway."

"Don't think you're off the hook." 

At that moment, the cashier calls out their order number from inside the restaurant door. 

\---

Galo throws himself onto the couch as soon as he gets in, leaving Lio to close and lock the front door. They splay the boxes out on the coffee table and just rotate boxes between them as they eat with cheap chopsticks. 

The chinese food is tasty and they talk easily about how their weeks have been going; Meis and Guierra have finally moved into their own place, Galo has managed to beat one of the high-scores on the cabinet at the HQ and he and Lucia made some 'cool improvements' to the matoi tech launcher. It's good and they laze easily into enjoying each other's company. 

Once the remaining boxes are packed away in the fridge, Lio walks to an upside-down Galo who's splayed over the arm of the couch. 

"Hey," Galo starts, addressing him as Lio pads past. "I feel really bad about what happened the other day." 

"Stop, don't apologize."

Galo frowns. "I feel bad for asking, but I'm worried. It's not me, right? I'm not scary? 

Lio sighs, pinching his brow. "No. You're not scary, Galo. It's more, the stuff..?" He trails off. 

"Is it what  _ I'm _ doing or what  _ we're _ doing?" 

"What we were doing, I think. Maybe. I'm not sure." Lio tries to rack his brains if it was a specific thing they did. Maybe Galo being on top? But that wasn't him  _ doing  _ anything, not that Lio could remember. 

He steps close and kisses Galo upside-down. He was looking too worried. 

Galo tilts into the kiss, but doesn't reach for him like usual. Apparently he's got more to say. 

"Okay." Galo tilts his head. "The making out is fun, right?"

Lio smirks, leaning on his hands over Galo, basking in his upside-down smile. "A bit," he teases. 

"So let's just do that." Galo suggests.

"Only make out?"

"If you like."

"But I-" he stops himself, feeling his face heat up. He can’t help but think about Galo being all over him, hands pushing further than they do during their kissing- hands smoothing over him and lifting him up and being pressed against that muscular chest and maybe feeling Galo's thighs against his, hands searing down his back…

"You wanna do more?" Galo smiles softly, shifting on the couch. Lio is brought violently out of his reverie and it’s all he can do to just nod. It’s way too hot in here. "That's good, 'cuz I do too." 

Galo's smirk slaps Lio right back into imagining things. A few seconds pass and Lio is inundated by the visceral, heated images his brain is ticker-taping behind his eyes. 

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Galo asks. 

Lio swallows hard. "Wouldn’t you like to know?"

"Yes! Duh that’s why I asked." Galo almost looks innocent. 

Lio considers a moment, and resigns himself. This will be fine, it's not like Galo will jump him immediately if he shares. He hangs his head. "It's... pretty lewd." 

Now it’s Galos turn to blush furiously. "O-oh?" 

"Yeah," Lio leans up so he can gesture a bit to add to the words, "I’ve been thinking about how much I want to run my hands up under your shirt and down your chest," he sees Galo's face turning bright red and his own courage picks up "-and grab the insides of your thighs and feel your mouth press tight against-"

"Aaaah! Aaah!" Galo flails his arms and springs up, "Okay-stop-oh-my-god!" Galo tries to clear his throat and escapes to the little kitchen. “I'm gonna drink something holy sh…" 

Lio laughs behind his hand, then drops onto the couch. At least he wasn’t the only one all riled up now. 

After he downs two glasses of water Galo sits slowly onto the couch. Lio is going through the texts he got from Guierra earlier, waiting for him. "So…" Galo starts, twiddling his thumbs between his knees.  _ Fuck he’s cute _ .  _ How the hell is he still cute when he does this shit _ ? 

"Did you want to do anything tonight?" Galo asks hesitantly. 

Lio takes a moment. Galo's gaze drops down to Lio's shirt and hovers over his lips. The hot desire bubbling up in him is probably not dying any time soon. He feels pulled in Galo's direction like a current is driving him and he's helpless against it.

"I don’t want to fuck tonight," he says as strongly as he can. Galo nods. Lio breathes out. "I’m not," he squeezes his own knee and he can feel his own anticipation warping, "I’m not sure what I  _ do  _ want to do though." 

"Okay. I’m pretty sure I know how you feel. But…" Galo trails off.

"What?" 

"We haven’t even been, you know, naked around each other yet," he jokes, but Lio is curious now. 

"Hey."

Galo hums his interest. 

"How about we do  _ that _ ?"

"What, get naked?" Galo closes his eyes in thought. "Like... take a shower together?" 

Lio stares. "That’s… not a bad idea." He does need one after the day he's had. 

Galo holds up his hands in a placating gesture. "We don’t have to make it sexy, it can just be fun, right?"

Lio raises an eyebrow. "Galo, you and I both know we’re wound up right now."

"Yeah but," he starts, "I… it would mean a lot to me, too." His hand rubs the back of his head, his cheeks dusted with pink. "To get to see you and… for you to see me." 

Lio's heart feels like it’s melting. And that's entirely unfair when his dick is also pressing uncomfortably against his pants. He scoots over to Galo and kisses him on the cheek. 

"Let’s do that then. No pressure." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you enjoyed this and what you think of our guys! I'm having a lot of fun writing this despite how long I seem to be taking. ᵔ.ᵔ ❤  
> Find me on tumblr @ dipkit


	3. Showering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lio and Galo take a shower together and things get steamy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings: oral, insecurities re; trans body/genitals, referring to trans man junk as 'cock.'  
> I think that's it, vague internal anxiety is still there too.

Lio's first thought is Galo’s shower is surprisingly clean. The small dark blue squares are contrasted by the bright white grout, and together with the steam now rising and swirling around him, it’s a very muted, relaxing atmosphere. Lio had stepped in first, insisting that he wanted to enjoy the hot steam before Galo came in and wanted the temperature lowered to 'regular' levels. He knows he probably shouldn't have it as hot as he does, but they have limiters on that stuff for a reason. He had stripped and jumped in before Galo came back with towels for them both, and stood under the stream for a few seconds before hearing the bathroom door click open and closed. It made his heart jump. 

Galo was now wrestling with his own clothes on the other side of the opaque curtain. Lio ducks his head under the stream again and sighs. Sometimes being reminded of how Galo can be caught up by simple things makes him strangely love him more. There’s a level of cuteness that can only be won by struggling with mundane tasks. Lio feels his hair get soaked through, and runs it back from his face and down. The hot water is doing wonders for his nerves. It’s almost just the threat of freaking out alone that’s making him nervous. He doesn't want a repeat of last week. No pressure, he reminds himself. 

A larger shadow grows on the curtain as Galo says "Hey, room for one more?" 

Lio rolls his eyes but is happy just the same. "Yeah, just come in here." He steps into the spray again, his face tilted up and just waits for Galo to touch him, unwilling to be the first to do it. He runs out of breath before he feels anything though, so he sluices the water from his eyes and turns to look behind himself. 

Galo  _ did  _ get into the shower and is standing there, but the look on his face does very funny things to Lio's chest. Galo has his hands linked behind his back and is staring openly, with a pink flush on his face and neck, but with a look that is somehow telling Lio that he’s a fucking wonder to behold,  _ and _ that Galo is really, really nervous. 

"I thought I was the one freaking out." Lio says in a quiet tone. 

Galo makes a non-committal hum. His eyes rove down from Galo’s face and over his chest, dancing over the burn scars now uncovered on his left arm, down the trail of blue hair under his belly button, past the small bit of pink skin peeking out from between his legs and over the tan expanses of his thighs all the way down to his feet, bright against the dark blue tiles. His gaze shifts back to Galo's eyes and he’s now blushing halfway down his chest. 

Lio has no idea what expression he’s wearing but he says “Galo, you’re really hot.” his voice comes out as a hoarse whisper. Galo jerks, like he’s surprised to hear it even though it's definitely not the first time he's been told. Before he can respond Lio leans forward and gently touches Galo's stomach with his fingertips. Galo makes a little squeaking sound that shouldn’t be cute but it is. Lio feels a lot of tension as he presses his hands over Galo's sides, and a little tremor runs over Galo's frame.  _ Fuck _ . 

Galo reaches forward and Lio feels his big hands threading through his wet hair to gently cup the back of his head. “You’re real pretty yourself, Fotia.” Lio closes the distance between them, his wet skin pressing against Galo’s dry stomach and chest. He leans up for a kiss that Galo thankfully meets him for. It’s a lot softer than Lio’s expecting. Lio's lips melt against Galo's, their heads turning slightly and mouths only moving a bit. The sensation is wonderful. Lio can feel Galo's breath on his wet face, feel the warmth trapped to his scalp by Galo's wide hands. Galo sighs into him. Lio's starting to get just how much this means to him, so he resolves to make this wonderful. 

When they break apart Lio slowly spins their positions. "Here, get under the water." Galo yelps at the heat and turns it down immediately, muttering something about lava.

Then Lio watches him duck under the showerhead, his large crest of hair falling flat after the water has soaked into it. His back muscles pull and work as he runs his fingers through his hair, pulling it away from his face to hang down his back in long soft strands. It reaches between his shoulder blades. Lio realizes belatedly that he's getting kind of turned on just watching Galo's muscles shift and pull. Seeing his bare ass under the cascade of hot water is doing everything he thought it would do. In order to keep some kind of decorum he turns around to the little wall shelf in the corner, and finds the shampoo after a moment of reading the labels. He feels a warm, wet hand on his shoulder. 

"Here, let me," Galo says, reaching for the shampoo, "please." 

Galo apparently has a thing for Lio’s hair, as he wants to do each part of his routine for him. It was a little strange but Lio leans into it as soon as he feels Galo's strong fingers threading through his hair and scratching lightly at his scalp. Galo stands behind him in the stream, soaping up his hair. He spins their positions again to rinse it and card his fingers through Lio's hair. There isn't much talking, just the rush of the water against the tiles and their skin, and the soft sussruss of Galo's hands through Lio's hair. Lio feels his muscles relax as Galo guides him under the water. He hadn't realized he was that tense. 

Galo pulls him out to condition his hair with just as much care. Lio feels his eyes shifting closed while he concentrates on the pleasurable waves spreading from his scalp down his back. The light spray of water bouncing off Galo's shoulders and onto Lio's back is kind of cooling, but the heat of Galo's body so close to his is making him shiver occasionally. When Galo tips Lio's head back slightly to run his fingers through his bangs, Lio takes the half step back into Galo. 

Galo hums, and it's like fire is licking along Lio's entire body. He tips further back and looks up at Galo. He's smiling down, now just holding Lio's head softly. 

"You make cute noises," Galo says. 

"Huh?" Lio sounds almost sleepy even to himself. 

Galo laughs and it vibrates deep in Lio's chest. "You've been making little noises when I touch you. It's nice." He's blushing. 

"Oh." Lio wasn't aware, and now he wonders what his blissful thoughts made him sound like. 

"Do me now?" Galo asks. 

Lio coughs and turns to him. "What? Oh." 

His misinterpreting kick-started his heart. Lio wants to calm himself. It's difficult not to be all worked up, what with a full-on view of Galo in the hot water. With the delicious blush creeping over Galo's chest. 

"T-turn around." He chokes on his words and that doesn't help his state of mind. 

"Oi, Lio." The voice is soft. 

"What?" 

Galo runs a hand along Lio's jaw and leans forward to kiss his nose. "No pressure, remember?" Which does actually do a lot for his embarrassment. The way his body is reacting seems less important. He's taking a shower with his super-hot boyfriend. Nothing thus far has been a big surprise. 

Lio keeps his back at the edge of the shower stream, and takes Galo's body wash and starts working it into suds all over Galo's chest. Lio can feel his relaxed muscles under his fingertips- and is kind of shocked seeing how large Galo looks against his own smaller hands. Normally there isn't a whole lot of staring in their making-out sessions, so it feels like a new revelation. He works over Galo's right arm from his shoulder to his fingertips, and when he starts on Galo’s left shoulder he looks up at him. 

“This okay?” 

“Yeah, just do it like normal.” Galo grins. He seems calm about it. Lio's fingers dance down the bands of scar tissue; finding them taut but smooth. They don’t give as much as Galo’s unblemished skin but Lio finds that the texture isn’t bad, just different. He’s careful as his hands wrap around and work down his arm. 

Galo seems more relaxed by the time he reaches his wrist, and giggles a bit when Lio rubs his fingers between Galos to get them soapy. He gets his other hand too. The air doesn't seem as weighted as it did a minute ago. 

The weight he feels is instead centered in Lio's core. Galo is radiating trust and openness with his gaze. A ball of tight-wound energy pulses in Lio and he can't help but squirm with the feeling. Lio wants to smile at him while he works his hands flat over Galos abs, but his face isn't really responding to what he wants to do. 

He can feel Galo breathing slightly faster as he works his hands down over his hips. The swatch of his pubic hair is so close to his fingers, and he really wants to feel Galo's thighs. But he quickly loses his nerve and nudges Galo around to lather up his back and sides instead. He can feel Galo giggle again. 

A sigh shakes out of him, and for the moment Lio is kind of lost in the reverie of moving his hands over the contours of Galo's body. His skin is smooth in places and rough in others (he should moisturize more) and the give of his back is different from the give of his stomach or arms. 

"This feels nice, Lio." The rumble of Galo's voice echoes softly off the blue tiles and fizzles amidst the hanging steam. It's calming. 

Lio washes over Galo's lower back, and decides to keep moving his soapy hands in circles down onto his ass. Galo's butt is surprisingly squishy, and Lio loses a moment to just running his hands under his cheeks and sliding up them, watching the slight bounce. Galo snorts, and tries to cover the laugh that follows. 

"What?" Lio asks, amusement in his voice. 

"Never took you for a butt guy." Galo says.

"Never had such a nice  _ butt  _ in my hands…" Lio says before he can stop himself. He blushes but Galo isn't looking, he's humming and letting the few giggles die off. His hands rest against the shower wall. 

The nervousness gone for a moment, Lio keeps going. He runs his hands over the coarse leg hair down the backs of Galo's thighs and calves, he doesn't quite realize he's fully dropped to his knees until Galo turns back around. 

The sight he's greeted with is something else. 

White soap streaks swirl over Galo's tanned skin, mostly stopping at his waist. Lio can clearly see how much more worked up Galo is now than when they started. This angle lets him see pretty much everything, and Galo is clearly hard, his pink dick poking outward from the dark triangle of pubic hair. Although, Galo himself looks like he's trying to pay attention to what Lio is doing, rather than what it's doing to him. 

"You can… do the rest of me… if you want." He breathes out, looking aside and fidgeting with his hands. 

That's enough to give Lio the resolve he needs to just go for it, so he decides to work more lather up Galo's shins, even though they're pretty much covered already, switching from one to the other. 

He's really into this. Lio is trying to focus on Galo's legs, and even that is making his face heat up. 

Lio’s hand slips over something on the inside of Galo’s thigh. It’s not soap- Lio brushes his hand through it and it comes away clear and string-sticky from Galo’s thigh. The insides of his thighs are covered in it.

_ Oh _ . 

Lio takes a long look up at him. 

Galo looks down at him when he stops, and Lio can see him notice the strands connected to his fingertips pull and snap away. Galo blushes a little darker. 

"You good?" Lio asks when Galo turns his gaze to the shower wall. He braces a soapy arm sideways against the wall to steady himself. 

He nods. Lio feels like he needs Galo to say something. He's balancing on the edge of feeling like this is okay. 

"You're really…"  _ wet  _ is what he wants to say, but he's not sure what he  _ should  _ be saying, how he should say it, but he's already started talking. "... turned on." He feels like knocking his own head against the tiles.  _ How dumb do I sound right now? _

"Yeah, yeah, I'm… you touching me is really nice." Galo seems embarrassed, but not upset. He's got a little smirking smile despite his blush moving down his neck and onto his chest. 

Lio flexes his fingers against Galo's legs. His hands are covered in soap, and he could just turn into the water or hold his hands behind himself in the stream to clean them. But that would mean taking away the contact from Galo and he doesn't want to do that right now. At any rate, he knows what he'd  _ like  _ to do. 

"Can I have a taste?" Lio asks, breath tight in his chest. 

Galo is dead. Or at least, Lio thinks he may have killed him right there, based on how he seems to have stopped breathing. He waits a moment for Galo to unfreeze himself. He's rewarded with a few coughing breaths before Galo nods his head, very enthusiastically, humming his assent. 

Lio exhales, steadying himself. He's not super nervous. The hum of energy feels like excitement, and something else entirely. 

He puts his open mouth on Galo. 

Galo gasps at the sensation but doesn't pull back. The taste is the first thing Lio's expecting, but the heat is what gets to him. Galo is wonderfully hot to the touch, and Lio's lips and the tip of his tongue almost burn with how warm and flushed he is. He doesn't exactly know what he's doing, but he asked if he could taste Galo, so he closes his lips around Galo's dick and swirls his tongue around it once. Another gasp, deeper this time. The taste is- bright? He thinks. But not acrid. And not sweet, but pleasant just the same. 

He's bent on his knees with his hands on Galo's thighs, and the angle and the height Galo has on him makes it work pretty well. Galo shifts his weight as he widens his legs, to let Lio get at him easier. Lio sticks his tongue out flat and swipes back into his mouth, pressing Galo's dick up against his top lip. There's another gasp that slides into a moan.

Lio takes stock of himself for a moment, feeling his own heartbeat in his throat. He leans back just a bit and licks Galo's tip, then looks upwards. Galo's eyes are closed, and he's still leaning one arm on the tiled wall beside him. His face is flushed and he's got a giddy expression on- at least the part that Lio can see, as he's got his hand pressed into his face like he can't handle what he was seeing. 

Lio looks back down and exhales.  _ Okay, okay, look, things are good, he's feeling good, and this is really hot. It's _ "...not so scary." Lio mumbles to himself, without realizing that Galo can hear.

There's a twitch, a breath of pause, and Galo's voice floats down; "Um, how do you mean?" He's moved himself almost imperceptibly away from Lio. 

When Lio's gaze snaps up, Galo has a strange look on his face. Like he's  _ trying  _ to smile just a little. Lio stays calm, though. He's not sure what just happened. Maybe Galo could tell he was trying not to panic? 

"I- well," Lio leans a little farther back and resists the urge to duck his head. He matches his gaze with Galo's. "I thought I'd, you know, freak out again. But this is nice." He's kept his hands on Galo's thighs, and he rubs his fingers in circles as he says it. 

"Oh." Galo isn't looking at him. 

He tries a slightly different angle. "Like, I thought I might feel scared but, it’s really hot, having my mouth on your cock."

A slight intake of breath, and Galo's eyes wander back to his. "Oh. Oh... it’s not that, that you don’t... it…" Galo is kind of combusting. 

"What is it? Should I not say that?"

"No! No please absolutely say that. I just got…" he drags a hand down his face, leaving streaks of soap suds, and turns aside again to look at the wet tiles. "I thought you were commenting on my... size... with the ' _ not scary _ '... thing." 

Lio frowns, then nuzzles into Galo's unsoaped thigh with his face. "I’d never complain about your size. Either way." Galo tracks the gaze running up his hips and over his stomach and chest as Lio rests his cheek on Galos thigh. "You’re gorgeous." 

Galo chokes. "Ah, Lio…" 

Lio moves up to wrap his lips around Galo again, not breaking eye contact. He hums and Galo shivers. The fact that Galo was-  _ is  _ nervous about this makes Lio regret being so wrapped up in his own head that he didn't notice it sooner.

Lio works his tongue and lips around Galo, sucking and licking around him. He tries to feel when Galo tenses up, when he chokes on his breaths. He wants Galo to feel good,  _ dammit _ . And thus far it's apparently been more difficult for Galo than for him, so he's gonna make it up to him. 

Galo gets pretty hard in Lio's mouth, so much so that he takes to bobbing his head back and forth. He runs his tongue along Galo's length in tandem with his movements, feeling Galo twitch and his hips shake and roll slightly. Galo starts making almost pained whines interspersed with low resonant moans whenever Lio presses his tongue flat onto his dick. Lio's ridiculously hard and can feel his dick bobbing in the steamy air as he moves, but he's keeping his hands on Galo, wanting to feel everything he's doing. 

Galo's free hand comes down behind Lio's head and threads into his hair as he's pressed up tight against Galo for a moment. He stills with his mouth around him. Galo's fingers caress his scalp before tugging and tangling into his hair right at the roots. 

But Galo doesn't pull on him. So he moves back again, sucking along Galo's length and bobbing, and Galo doesn't move him, just keeps his hand wound tight in Lio's slick wet hair. Lio feels a tingling flow from his scalp down his spine. 

Galo's hand feels big against him. Again he feels himself relax slightly, vaguely registers that he's reassuring himself that it's okay. It's okay if Galo's big hand is wrapped in his hair, it's okay that he's on his knees in front of his massive boyfriend, it's okay that he feels so small because Galo is Galo. He's kind and trustworthy and Lio… Lio trusts him. 

And Galo clearly trusts him, too. Lio thinks that Galo doesn't have any reason to have body image issues, but clearly that's not the case. Yet he's okay with Lio burying his cheeks inbetween his thighs, his nose deep in Galo's curls and his mouth and tongue slipping and sucking all over his junk. Lio almost giggles. He can't really think of a bigger way Galo could open himself. His heart hammers in his chest. 

Lio renews his efforts. He puts more pressure into his movements and is rewarded with Galo cursing under his breath, tightening his grip and actually pressing Lio's face into himself. 

Lio hums against Galo when he's held deep, and flicks his tongue over Galo's tip a few times. Galo's hips stutter, but Lio's being held against him so whatever friction he was chasing doesn't come. 

He takes a breath through his nose and realizes he's also fine with Galo holding him tight like this; there's something about the way Galo is losing control that doesn't really scare him. 

Galo pulls his head back and Lio comes off him with a lewd and audible pop. Galo pulls back a bit, breathing heavily. "Sorry, we can stop, if it's too much," He looks fucking wrecked. 

That calms Lio further  _ and  _ spikes his adrenaline in a different way, making his eyes alight with anticipation. 

"I want to see you cum first." 

Galo burns red, stutters, and Lio leans forward, pressing Galo back until he bumps against the cool tiled wall. 

He wraps his lips around Galo as soon as he nods down at Lio. Galo slides just a bit down the wall, angling his hips slightly so Lio has even more access, so Galo's even more exposed than before. Lio's heart is going to kill him. He drags his hands up and down the inside of Galo's thighs as he takes a moment to appreciate the sight of his boyfriend's tight muscles. Then Lio slides his hands between and behind Galo's thighs to hold him just a bit wider. Galo lets out a debauched moan, and Lio doesn't hold back. He sucks and lathes his tongue over Galo in alternate patterns, feeling the heat wash over him and both of Galo's hands thread into his hair with an urgency. 

After a few blissful minutes of trying new patterns he can feel Galo's thighs tense and shake on his palms and figures he must be close. He's keening and babbling at the same time, and Lio can barely make out coherent words aside from  _ 'please'  _ and  _ 'Lio.'  _

The taste of Galo is everywhere, he can feel Galo's arousal all over his lips and jaw and down his neck and he's never felt anything quite as hot as this. And Galo is letting him, Galo wants him to be here, doing this- he's begging for it- 

Lio looks up to see Galo's eyes unfocused, his breath tearing out of his throat, and Galo's eyes latch on Lio's gaze for a moment and then his eyes slam shut, body convulsing, abs and thighs tightening. He pulses as he cums hard in Lio's mouth. 

Lio stays there, tongue and lips pressed against him, feeling his pulsing and heartbeats as he shudders down from his orgasm. Hands slowly release his hair, gently brushing it back from where he had it bunched, mumbling his apologies and asking  _ was he too rough _ , he's  _ sorry _ , he  _ didn't mean to _ -

Lio leans back and smiles, shaking his head no. "Shut up, you dumbass," He rushes up for a kiss- or at least he tries to. Lio's legs get him upright and then send him almost careening back down to the tiled floor before Galo catches him, despite being wobbly himself. 

"Lio! Are you okay? Oh no what did I-" 

"Galo!" Lio's got a huge smile on his face as Galo sets him onto the shower floor. "Relax, please, my legs just fell asleep." He laughs a bit, then hisses as he swings his legs out to lay flat in front of him. He's starting to feel the pins and needles rush past his bright red knees. Galo looks very fucked-out; high heat on his cheeks, wet hair tousled around his shoulders, and a vague slackness about him. He sits down next to Lio, the spray now hitting their outstretched legs as they both lean against the back wall of the shower. 

Lio brings him in for a kiss. Galo lets out a small 'meep' of surprise. Lio licks into his mouth, tasting Galo on his tongue still and knowing that Galo is tasting himself too. In the back of his mind, Lio registers the lewdness but can't bring himself to actively care. Right now it's purely hot. He just wants to kiss Galo, kiss his boyfriend, and be reminded of all the wonderful things that just happened- that they just did. That he didn’t freak out about. 

The sound of the shower seems to fade back into focus. The water sprinkles down onto his legs, and the spray-back is misting on his chest and arms as they kiss softly, slowing the pace as they both return to normal breathing. The steam in the air is a relaxing counterpart to the cool tiles at their backs. The pins and needles are on their downward swing, and Lio hisses a bit as he moves his legs to test them. 

Galo cups Lio's chin and breaks the kiss to look at him. Now  _ that  _ look will do Lio in every time; Galo's pink face, earnest expression with his lips slightly swollen with kissing and when he was biting his own lips to keep quiet, and his pupils blown wide and deep. It hits him that it's the first time he's seen Galo's face after an orgasm- the first time he's seen Galo cum at all. And it was in his mouth. 

Lio has the decency to blush at the thought, despite it happening not even two minutes ago. He can feel a heat stirring in his core again.

"What?" He asks, playfully, as Galo keeps trying to stare into his soul. 

"Lio…" Galo says, his voice tight. He leans in to kiss him again, and they lose themselves in that for a few moments. It's soft and unhurried, like Galo is trying to communicate through it. 

"What is it?" Lio asks when they flow apart. 

Galo shakes his head while smiling, "Can't." He sighs almost dreamily. "You're so… everything, Lio."

Lio has to turn aside from the earnestness in Galo's voice. His cheeks and ears are flushing bright red. His boyfriend has turned into a huge sap just moments after he had his mouth all over him- and Lio doesn't know if he's more embarrassed by the turn or more incomprehensibly happy about the positive attention. Either way, he's glad that Galo is feeling so good. 

"Come on, we've got to get up, the hot water's gonna run out soon." He tries to help Galo up but he's struggling. 

Galo looks up at him with some of the same flushed expression from before, but this time, his eyes have narrowed in focus. "Lio." His deep voice rumbles through Lio's head. 

"Ha?"

"I want to- I want to get you too."

Lio suppresses the full-body shiver that runs through him. He wants to, but- "No, come on, let's get dried off." 

"O-okay." Galo seems to deflate a bit. He stands up, under the stream of water. "Are you saying that 'cuz you don't want to at all, or 'cuz you don't want to right here?"

"Someone's got their words back." Lio swipes some few remaining soap suds from Galo's shoulders.

"Hmh. You didn't answer!" He turns and tries to clean himself off in the water, looking wobbly the whole time. 

"Just- I do but- not here." Lio finishes in a mumble, covering the back of his neck. He can feel his own heated skin under his palm. His arousal has come back strong, and he's trying to not be as mortified about sporting a boner as he is. And remembering where he just had his face is surprisingly not helping him out. 

"Oh! Alright!" Galo flashes a smile back at him. 

They clean off before stepping out of the shower, and towel themselves dry in relative silence. Lio can feel Galo's gaze on him as he turns away to hide himself, and it feels like he's under a spotlight with how it makes him flush down his chest. 

They stumble into the hallway, with Lio going into Galo's room and Galo grabbing another towel from the linen closet to squish water from his hair. 

Lio pulls on his boxer briefs and takes a few calming breaths. Where before he was kind of giddy with anticipation, now he was practically vibrating with… relief? He goes back into the bathroom to comb his hair while it's still wet. 

His thoughts are starting up again. Galo hadn't really touched his body yet, and maybe that was on purpose- or maybe he had jumped on the opportunity to make Galo feel good. Good about himself and just, well, physically. 

Galo comes out of his room in sweats and a soft t-shirt. They end up near each other in the hallway. Lio successfully calms his nerves while seeing Galo all dressed and looking relaxed and loose. He lets himself fall against his boyfriend, who wraps him up in a hug. 

Without speaking, Galo walks him backwards into the bedroom while hugging.

\---

"How are your knees?" Galo asks as they lounge in his bed. 

"They're fine. How's your… focus?"

"Hmm, still very out there." 

Lio smiles. 

"Oh, proud of yourself huh?" Galo laughs at Lio's smile. "You should be."

"Really, why's that?" Lio leans up on his elbow. "Did I give you the best orgasm you've ever had?"

Galo flushes immediately. 

"Oh, damn." He laughs. "I'm honored."

"You can't, I was gonna make that joke." Galo sulks for a second. "I'm not gonna let you win this, though."

"Win the joke war?"

"The war of… who can give who the best orgasm." he nods, eyes shining. 

"Alright, you weirdo. Too much fighting spirit for this late." Lio runs his hand along Galo's clavicle, just tracing the edge of it as it disappears under the t-shirt. "You're pretty great, you know?"

"I didn't do anything for you tonight though."

Lio goes quiet, and lies down against Galo. "You did. Trust me." 

Galo smiles. "The vulnerable stuff?" 

Lio nods and snuggles closer to him. 

Galo sighs contentedly, bringing the arm he has under Lio's head around to his back, holding him closer. "That makes me really happy."

Lio trails his fingertips down over Galo's clothed chest. The feeling is heavily warm and content. They stay there for a minute, Lio wrapped on Galo's side with a leg swung over both of his, and Galo's arms wrapped around Lio, holding him close. The places they touch glow with suffused warmth, from the shower and from some low energy thrumming through them both. Lio starts to feel his eyes slide closed. 

"I know what it's like to have to re-learn how to exist," Galo starts, without prompting. There's something that pulls at Lio's consciousness when he speaks now. "How to act in spaces I haven't been allowed to act before." 

Lio nods. 

Galo continues. "It's tough, but you're re-entering society pretty well." He moves his head to kiss Lio's hair. "The city-based society anyway."

Lio waits, then prompts him. "I… guess it was probably pretty hard, having to re-learn how to just be a person, huh?" When Galo had first told him he was trans, he had treated it like any other fact, like his favorite color or his astrological sign. Something that wasn't as heavy. 

"Hm." Galo smiles at the ceiling. "There were a lot of different rules, and I kept getting made fun of for being… you know…" he throws his arms wide.

Lio chuckles. "Big," he jokes. 

"Obviously." Galo rolls his eyes and re-hugs Lio. "But eventually I found a place where I could be- could be  _ me _ , and be comfortable."

"The burning rescue team?"

"Yeah." 

"I… I feel that. There, as well." Lio had for some time now. 

"They do like you, a lot." Galo's eyes shine. "I want to be that for you. Well, not all of it, but one of the places." Galo is looking into his soul again. "A safe place." 

"You-" Lio blushes furiously, and feels his eyes sting. "Shut up." He buries his face into Galo's side; who just holds him tighter. " _ You already are _ ," he mumbles, and Galo laughs softly, contentedly tracing circles over his boyfriend's back. They end up falling asleep soon after, the tension of the day completely melted away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! This chapter more than doubled the word count, and I've upgraded it to Explicit. Sorry for taking so long to update! Life, brains, etc.  
> I also updated the work summary to reflect the new angle this is taking.  
> This has become apparent the more I write; I deffo have a thing for bathing and showering together. There's something about it that's just so intimate…

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always appreciated!


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